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Karaoke Bar Gets Liquor License Rejected by Community Board

By Serena Dai | October 21, 2014 4:41pm
 Joel Lim's application to open a karaoke restaurant at 227 Grand St. was blasted by locals. On the application, he said he manages St. Marks Karaoke at 6 Saint Marks Place and that he managed Sing Sing Karaoke's St. Marks Place location between 2008 and 2011.
Joel Lim's application to open a karaoke restaurant at 227 Grand St. was blasted by locals. On the application, he said he manages St. Marks Karaoke at 6 Saint Marks Place and that he managed Sing Sing Karaoke's St. Marks Place location between 2008 and 2011.
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Facebook/St. Marks Karaoke

WILLIAMSBURG —An application for a new karaoke bar's liquor license filed by a former manager of popular Manhattan karaoke spot Sing Sing was rejected after residents said its reputation didn't fit with the neighborhood.

Joel Lim, who managed Sing Sing Karaoke's 9 Saint Marks Place location in the East Village between 2008 and 2011, applied as 227 Grand Corp. for a karaoke restaurant at 227 Grand St., at the corner of Driggs Avenue, according to records and Community Board 1.

Lim currently manages St. Marks Karaoke at 6 Saint Marks Place, the application said.

Sing Sing, which is known for attracting celebrities like Jason Sudeikis and Drake, also has a location at 81 Avenue A. Representatives from both locations said Lim's application was not for a new Sing Sing location.

But residents said visits to the bars and a look at Yelp reviews of Sing Sing showed that a similar karaoke spot would not work for Williamsburg.

Resident Sunny Chapman read reviews that called Sing Sing "divey," "trashy" and "dodgy." She also pointed to posts mentioning a woman who was "blitzed out of her mind."

"These are the kind of reviews they go on and on about — how dirty their places are, how sound bleeds and ripping off their customers," Chapman said. "I’m speaking up against this place. It’s not a family place. It’s not a restaurant."

The Grand Street and Driggs Avenue location falls under the 500-foot rule, where a new liquor license may not be granted when three or more existing licensed premises are operating nearby unless it's in the public's interest.

The 227 Grand Corp. application described the 227 Grand St. location as a "karaoke restaurant." Residents said owners claimed it would be a "family place."

Neighbors also said property owner All Year Management has been unresponsive to their concerns about noise, much of which comes from residents throwing parties in the new building.

Since January 2013, seven 311 noise complaints — the bulk of them citing before- or after-hours construction —  have been logged at the location, according to city records.

Lim did not respond to repeated calls for comment. Lim's attorney Frank Palillo also did not return a request for comment, nor did All Year Management.

Community Board 1 ultimately voted not to support Lim's bid for a liquor license at the location. The vote is advisory to the State Liquor Authority, which makes the ultimate decision.